Lewis Hamilton clinched a historic pole for Belgian GP 2017 race on Sunday, August 27, as he equalled Formula 1 great Michael Schumacher's all-time record of 68 pole positions.
The three-time world champion made the feat memorable by setting a Spa record of 1:42.553s in the qualifying on Saturday. The Mercedes driver was 0.242s faster than championship leader Sebastian Vettel, who will join the Brit from the front row of the grid during the race.
Notably, Hamilton, with 188 points, trails Vettel in Driver Standings by 14 points and the pole in Spa should give him the necessary confidence ahead of his 200th F1 race on Sunday.
Hamilton was the fastest in all three sessions, but Vettel was not far behind. Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas finished third with a fastest lap of 1:43.094s.
"And I have now equalled him [Schumacher] on poles and it is very surreal. It is a humbling experience knowing Michael is such a legend. It is an incredible feat he achieved and I am very proud to be up there with him," Hamilton spoke of his record-equalling pole.
Schumacher's family had a special message for Hamilton and F1 sporting boss Ross Brown delivered it: "His [Schumacher's] wife Corinna said that Michael always believed records were there to be broken, and they want to offer their congratulations."
Kimi Raikkonen, who had been brilliant in the practice races on Friday, August 25, was not at his best and was clearly outdone by his teammate Vettel, who will be eyeing to topple Hamilton for a finish on the top step of the podium on Sunday.
Both Hamilton and Vettel have won the race at Spa twice. The Brit though will be eyeing to get back to winning ways after his impressive third-place finish last season.
Meanwhile, Red Bull sealed a third-row lockout with Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo finishing fifth and sixth, respectively.
Renault's Nico Hulkenberg finished seventh and Force India's Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon took the final two spots.
When does the race start and where to watch it live
The British Grand Prix 2017 is scheduled for 2pm local time, 5:30pm IST and 1pm BST. Live streaming and TV listings are given below.
India: TV: Star Sports Select HD2. Live Streaming: Hotstar.
UK: TV: Sky Sports F1. Live Streaming: Watch Sky Sports.
USA: TV: NBCSN. Live Streaming: NBC Sports Live.
South East Asia: TV: Fox Sports. Live Streaming: Fox Sports Play.
Australia: TV: Ten HD. Live Streaming: Ten Play.
